[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/Irxxbbd.png[/img][/center] “Am I boring you, Auriëlle?” The Headmaster asked. The first words he spoke in class that Auriëlle could actually understand. She never even looked up. Her head was just resting on her desk. Almost as if she was asleep. Though she knew he had turned towards her. For the past hour he had just been talking in a language she didn’t understand. Probably about magic but how could she know? “You are.” She said without even looking up. In one hand she raised the paper that was resting underneath her. “I wish you would make this a bit more interesting.” She said and then lit the paper up. It burned to ash in an instant. Several of her classmates, none of whom she could understand, gasped and leaned away from the flashfire. With her face still on the desk the sorceress grinned. She could sense them at their desks. Even the idiots that sat behind her that had tried to run a prank on her. “Out. Now.” The headmaster said. Auriëlle didn’t even fight it. She just got up and walked out of the auditorium. Most of the students pulled their chair closer to their desk to let her pass, except one. Who seemed to be as lazy as her and hadn’t noticed she was leaving. At least not until she kicked the chair. The two hind-legs of the chair magically shattered upon impact. Sending the student and his chair down to the ground. Only for Auriëlle to step over him. He yelled something. Auriëlle turned to face him. Her blank stare focused down at him. Of course, she didn’t know what he had just yelled but she assumed it was an insult. An old habit boiled up again as she took a step towards him. Maybe she should teach him the same lesson she had taught so many during her raids. “Auriëlle.” The Headmaster in front said. The mere mention of her name stopped her. She let out a deep sigh, turned around and walked away again. “Whatever.” She said to herself as she closed the ornate carved door behind her. “It’s not like I could even understand what they were saying.” Talking to herself had become something of a habit lately. A few minutes later she was standing in Duxus’ plaza again. “Welcome… little one.” The creature said with its gentle giant tone. For several days Auriëlle hadn’t dared visit him. Not after what happened last. Yet when she finally summoned the courage, Duxus never even mentioned the incident. The fact that there wasn’t even a scratch on him probably meant he didn’t really care. Which helped Auriëlle not care about it either. “Hey there big guy!” She yelled with excitement. Duxus really was the one interesting thing to her still. “The classes are boring.” With that said she lazily sat down in front of him, basking in the sunlight. Several of the student around, having heard what had happened, started walking away again. “I just wished they taught me something useful.” “Knowledge…requires…time. This… I was told.” Duxus answered. “You shouldn’t… forsake… your studies. Discipline… is what… you require.” “I know, I Know.” Auriëlle said. “It’s just… I sat in a class full of weird people talking their funny language. What am I supposed to do there? Learn the damned sounds?” She looked away. Towards where she knew the horizon would be but couldn’t see it. A few hours later and Auriëlle was in another class. This time alone at a bench. Students were spread out. Each having their own workbench filled with tools and simple stone. Auriëlle was toying with hers. Spinning it on the wood while the Headmaster was talking in front of the class in the funny language she didn’t want to learn. Until he started showing stones of his own. Through the sight Auriëlle could see in what shape they were carved. Then everyone went to work. Including the sorceress. Though she didn’t really want to grab a hammer and chisel. She just traced the lines in the stone with her finger. The rock turned to gravel, then fine sand and eventually poured off the stone. Revealing a groove. Soon she had the shape of the rune exactly right and channeled her magic through it. Much like she did with sorcery. Nothing happened. She frowned, tossed the stone away again and took another. In the same way she traced the rune into it. This time a bit larger. Again she channeled her magic through it. Nothing happened. Again she tried it with another stone. The biggest she had. One she had to hold in both hands. She traced the rune exactly right and… nothing happened. Out of pure frustration she slammed the rock down on the bench. It shattered in an instant. Rock and debris shot around everywhere except towards the sorceress. For a second she heard several screams in the class. The next thing she sensed were the students nearest to her. Leaning away again with shards floating in front of them. Their workbenches filled with pieces of stone. “Auriëlle.” The Headmaster said. She sensed him now to channeling magic. When he released it, she heard the bits and pieces of stone fall from the air. “Out.” “it’s not fair! I can’t even understand what he’s saying!” Auriëlle screamed in front of Duxus. He didn’t answer as she paced back and forth in front of him. She was alone in the plaza. “How am I supposed to learn spells if I can’t even understand him. And I already can’t cast spells! I never could! This was such a stupid idea. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! All that time wasted I could’ve used to build a raft or something to get out of here.” “The waters… around… are dangerous. It would’ve been… unwise.” Said Duxus in his usual monotone voice. Auriëlle just glared at him. “Well I’m getting off one way or the other.” She said. “Even if that means I’ll have to move this entire gods damned island.” With that said she stomped off again. Duxus was a good friend to talk to but not now. Not when she felt this frustrated. What she needed to do now was let of steam. Luckily whatever idiot had made this school had included a few places where you could actually throw lighting, rock and fire to your heart’s contend. A rather sizeable boulder was careening through the air. It was heading straight for a floating mirror off in the distance. Yet when it touched the surface, it harmlessly passed through. Auriëlle saw it ripple like a vertical pond. Magic around it awakened and momentarily altered something about the mirror, she couldn’t say what, and then shifted back to its normal form. Behind the mirror laid an ever increasing heap of stone. “Not a bad shot.” The Headmaster said from behind her. Auriëlle hadn’t noticed him approaching. She was far too focused on reaching far out towards the mirrors. “You’re not here to appreciate my throwing skills. So what do you want?” An icy Auriëlle asked as she prepared another stone to throw towards another mirror. A second later it was whistling through the air. “I am here… to teach you a lesson.” Auriëlle turned to look at the Headmaster. Just in time to see him pull up his right sleeve. Around it the gaseous form suddenly took tight shape of circles around his arm. Lines of now glowing energy formed across his arm. A second later the deafening crack of a thunder could be heard. A whip of lightning had lashed out just beside Auriëlle. “What the hell!” She yelled. Surprised by the sudden attack. “You could’ve hit me!” “Maybe I should’ve.” There was no malice in the Headmaster’s voice. The lines around his right arm were still seemingly flowing as he lashed out again. The sorceress dodged and unleashed a wave of fire at the Headmaster. He reached out with his hand and said something. Auriëlle could sense his lips moving. Yet couldn’t make out the words. Yet again she saw the fog around everything tighten and glow. Several hundred rivulets of it raced through the air towards the fire. Crawling through it like roots through earth and then split the fire. So it passed the headmaster harmlessly. The headmaster retaliated immediately. The lightning whip combined with several other spells of rock, sand, fire and lightning kept Auriëlle on her toes. Forcing her to move around in an effort to dodge his attacks. Meanwhile the Headmaster stood firmly in his one spot. Stone was rendered to harmless sand half-way towards him. Lightning arched around him like it was afraid and finally fire just split itself in half every time. For ten minutes they had been fighting. Auriëlle was out of breath. Again she saw the golden glowing rivulets splitting her fire. Wave after wave he had done so. She tried to throw some more rocks but she didn’t have the time. Her body had slowed down. She had just regained her footing when the crack of thunder roared far too close to her. The lightning whip barely touched her. But it was enough. She felt her entire body tense up. For but a second she saw the rivulets form something just between herself and the lightning. Then she was pummeled through the air. Send flying by a force that should’ve been invisible. For a few seconds she was weightless. Yet pain coursed through her. Part of her hip was burned ugly by the lightning. She winced, until the inevitable fall to the ground force all the air from her lungs. Three coughs was all she could utter as her entire back felt as if it was broken. Something whooshed from high up. She rolled aside. Where she laid two seconds ago now laid a boulder that would’ve crushed her entire body. Enraged she shot up again. The falling bolder had thrown up a lot of dust. A problem for the Headmaster, who stopped his assault for a second. Auriëlle’s sight focused on the rivulets around his arm and then turned her gaze towards her own right arm. Her sleeve was already tattered. With her other hand she tore the remnants of the cloth away. Akin to sorcery, she simply demanded the rivulets of mana to take the same shape. She felt energy course across her arm. Though it was quite akin to when she threw lightning normally. Would it work? Auriëlle didn’t have the luxury to ask that question. She saw a golden drop-imbued wind come from high up. Blowing away the dust. A second later she saw the Headmaster summon the whip from his arm again. Ready to lash out towards her with it. Auriëlle mimicked his movement. Swinging her right arm around her head before letting it flail out. Two whips of lightning met in the middle and like rope entwined. Auriêlle gripped hers firmly and yanked back. The Headmaster was pulled off his feet and pulled towards the stone she had already send his direction. Yet suddenly the two whips disentangled. The stone turned to sand midflight. Every momentum was lost as it fell harmlessly down to the ground. The Headmaster landed back on his feet with a big smile on his face. Auriëlle still stood ready to attack at a moment’s notice. The golden glowing lines on her arm remained as well. Yet her breathing was ragged. Her knee would soon give in. She could feel the left side of her face already swelling up. “Congratulations, Auriëlle.” The Headmaster said as he folded his arms. The smile he had never vanished. “You’ve just used your first real spell.” He had always been dismissive of the demonic summoning spell that Auriëlle had mastered before. Sensing no more attacks Auriëlle fell backwards. Whincing in pain as she realized she had fallen on her back before. “By the gods.” She said with her eyes closed. She felt like she could sleep for a week. Yet a grin began to form on her lips as well. “It’s been years since I last fell so…exhilarated.” “A worthy opponent can do that.” The Headmaster said as she sat down beside her. She sensed him looking up at the dusk night sky. It had to be dusk. The temperatures were starting to cool slightly and she couldn’t feel the warm light of the sun so much on her skin anymore. “I… really did use a spell just then. Did I?” Auriëlle asked as she looked at her own arm. The golden lines were gone. Broken up. Only fog remained again. But for a moment she had seen something solid and firm in the magical substance that surrounded her. “You did dear. I figured you wouldn’t learn a thing in a classroom. From everything you’ve told me I don’t think you’ll ever learn that way. But it seems like you’ve got a very interesting way of rising to the challenge.” Said the Headmaster. But then he got up. “Now I have to go back to actual teaching.” “Wait!” Auriëlle shouted as her body tried to shoot up. Except she felt stiff and bruised all over. “When can we do this again? Maybe I can learn that spell you’ve used to split fire in two?” Pure excitement, something she hadn’t felt since Ketrefa, poured from her words. “Soon. Soon. Rest now. You’ve taken quite a beating.” The Headmaster walked away. Leaving a worn out, severally bruised but happy Auriëlle laying in the scorched and blackened grass. [hider=Summary] Auriëlle is bored in a class and gauds the Headmaster who makes her leave the classroom. Though in true Auriëlle fashion she doesn’t without making a ruckus. She vents to Duxus. Who tells her to remain patient and that she needs discipline. The next class is rune carving. Auriëlle again fails to cast a spell and in frustration shatters the stone. Again she’s send away. Again she vents to Duxus. Realizing she needs to let out some steam she leaves and heads to one of the outdoor training arenas. She’s just chucking rocks in the arena when the Headmaster visits her and suddenly attacks her. A fight between them breaks out. One Auriëlle is quite clearly losing as she has to dodge his spells again and again. While her own are negated. Eventually she’s hit and send flying. When she gets up she tries to mimic the spell the Headmaster had used and forces the mana to take the same shape. The lightning whips of both sides tangle and Auriëlle manages to pull the Headmaster towards her. Though he stops the fighting. Seeing as he achieved his goal: have Auriëlle cast a spell. It only took a fight that left her beaten, bruised and bleeding. [/hider] [hider=Prestige] [b]Post Length:[/b] +10K Characters +5 Prestige >> Auriëlle -15 Prestige >> Auriëlle for Title Medeath I +5 Prestige >> Headmaster [/hider]